IT and multimedia products distributor Trigon has promoted its long-serving COO, Arun Chawla, to the position of CEO.

Chawla confirmed the move and explained that his new post will see him play a greater role in setting strategy for the Al Ghurair Business Group-owned distributor.

"It will add more to my responsibilities in the form of contributing to the formation of the long-term vision and strategy of the company," said Chawla. "Furthermore, I'll now be the main responsible person for the financial results."

Chawla admits the distribution channel continues to face "tough times", but insists he remains focused on driving Trigon to achieve its bottom-line targets.

"There are no plans to appoint a replacement COO. My previous position was a specific necessity due to a previous management structure," he said.

Trigon employs almost 100 people and carries products from brands such as BenQ, D-link, Creative, LG, Samsung and Viewsonic. According to the 2010 Channel Middle East Power List, Trigon made sales of US$128m last year.